Page 46 of Cowboy Bear's Hope

“Oh my gah! Did everyone know I was pregnant before me?” she hollered.

Jezebel looked decidedly guilty, and I just bit my lower lip. Truth was, I suspected she was pregnant weeks ago.

“I’m gonna kill Max,” she growled, and damn, her skin really did turn red for a second.

“Pretty Penny, take it easy. You know you shouldn’t get worked up,” I cooed, using my pet name for her.

The fact that all the Shifters around her didn’t tell her was something she’d have to come to terms with.

That or she could get them back.

And knowing Penny, she would come up with some pretty clever forms of retribution once she was feeling better.

I wasn’t worried.

“How could my fiancé be such an idiot?”

“Oh, Sweetie. Max went to an ivy league school. He’s not an idiot,” Jezebel said.

“What does that have to do with being an idiot?” she growled, and I had to admit she had a point.

Having a degree didn’t make you smart. The same way going to church didn’t make you a good person.

But I wasn’t saying any of that to Penny. I knew how she felt about her man. While she might be allowed to call him names, it wouldn’t be okay for any of us to do the same.

Not that I would. I liked Max. Especially for her. The two of them together were one of those power couples the tabloids loved to write about.

Truth was, I’d been jealous of Max and Penny’s love affair. Not in the I hope they break up kind of way.

More the why can’t I have that in my life kind of way.

I bit my lip as the sudden realization hit me that I did have that in my life now. With Dante.

My very own mate.

I might be human, but I had feelings for the man. Big feelings. No, he hadn’t made any declarations of love, but claiming me had to mean something, right?

He just has to care.

“Right, Avery?” Jezebel asked, and I felt guilty cause I hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation.

“I think we need some movie therapy. Let’s see what we have here. How about a romcom? I am always up for one of those,” I said, looking through the goldmine of chick flicks Jezebel brought over.

“I vote for Clueless,” she said, naming the 90s redo of the classic tale Emma by Jane Austen, starring Alicia Silverstone.

“Oh, I love that one,” I said, handing it to her.

Truth was, it didn’t matter to me what was on the TV. MY thoughts were all over the place.

Okay, well, that wasn’t entirely true. My thoughts were focused, just not on anyone in that room.

They were on Dante. I bit my lip, my entire body lighting up at just the thought of him.

Having sex with the big man was one thing. But loving him? That could lead to my destruction. And I had Rosie to think about.

Oh my God. What have I done?

“Here. Let me put this in a bowl,” I said and grabbed the popcorn and a big bowl from the side table.

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